More about our Advisory Board members
Mary-Anne Waldren
maryanne.waldren[a]asflimited.com.au
Mary-Anne has established herself as one of the most influential players in Australia’s science-communication industry and is internationally renowned as the driving force behind three key festivals. Her business skills have earned her a swag of prestigious awards and she is one of Canberra’s best connected business leaders.
Her innovative style of leadership is built on a solid foundation of business expertise and the instinctive talent she has for building partnerships, finding the right people for the job and inspiring staff, volunteers and sponsors to want to work towards a common goal.
She was born into Canberra’s pioneering Cusack family and worked in the family’s various retail, service-industry and primary-produce businesses every weekend and school holiday from the age of 12.
She has a commitment to lifelong learning, has completed many business courses and has just completed her Masters in Management at the Australian National University.
Mary-Anne was voted most likely to become a Chief Executive Officer of an Australian Company in 1992 while she was completing an intensive Enterprise Development Institute of Australia Program. She has fulfilled this and every other promise that her peers and teachers identified in her. Mary-Anne was a finalist with Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the social and not-for-profit sector in 2002 and is a past recipient of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards in the ACT.
Mary-Anne turned the Australian Science Festival into one of the world’s largest science festivals. It generates more than a million dollars a year in media coverage and incorporates more than a hundred events.
Mary-Anne kick-started and drove National Science Week, the world’s largest nationwide celebration of science. She forged a unique alliance with the national broadcaster, the ABC, to deliver events to millions of Australians.
She established ICAN, Canberra’s festival of ideas and
innovation, in 2002, and attracted to the Canberra stage pioneering
entrepreneurs such as James Dyson, Julian Tertini and Ron Murray.
Mary-Anne set up MAW Action in 2006, a fee-for-service organisation that capitalises on her extraordinary storehouse of knowledge, contacts and competence in building partnerships and in creating, designing and running events and managing staff. MAW Action provides organisations with unique business development and problem-solving capabilities. As a business intermediary Mary-Anne offers a complete event-management service. Specialities include event creation, lobbying, marketing and generating media. Mary-Anne is an award-winning entrepreneur whose advice and activities continue to help small and growth businesses achieve their potentials.
Mary-Anne is the Business Development Officer for the Canberra Executive Forum, a member of the innovation task force with the Canberra Business Council, Special Advisor to the Royal Australian Mint, Executive Director of the ASF Limited, on the Advisory Council of Questacon: The National Science and Technology Centre and on the Advisory Board of Richardson O'Rourke. Mary-Anne is a special advisor to e247, one of Canberra’s newest start-up companies and a Director of Business Growth Accelerator Limited. Other clients include AIIA, the ACT Government’s Business and Industry Development, Australian Ethical Investments, eWater CRC, Epicorp (Lighthouse), Poongsan Corporation, Lend Lease, Women Chiefs of Enterprises International, Deacons and the National Capital Authority.
Mary-Anne Waldren is most comfortable when she is tackling a challenge.
Tony Sharley
20 years experience in brokering environmental partnerships between the public and private sector.
¨Successful in securing State, Commonwealth and private funding for major environmental and ecotourism developments.
Former elected Board Member of Ecotourism Australia in 2003 and 2004. Presented at 3 National Ecotourism Australia Conferences in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
¨ Member of the Riverland Biosphere Inc. committee (Chair in 2006 and 2007)
¨
¨
¨Manager of Banrock Station for 10 years (1999 to 2009) and directed $5m worth of corporate sponsorship to community based environmental projects in 13 countries.
Led Banrock Station through the Nationally Accredited Eco-Certification process.
¨Prepared successful proposals to the State Tourism Commission for an 8 km Banrock Station Walking Trail including an 800 metre boardwalk, bird hides, information huts, story centres (20,000 walkers spending ave. $20 per visit).
¨
Compiled 2 Walking Trail Guides and researched/designed interpretive signage for the Banrock Station trails.
¨